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Ambulatory Anesthesia and Surgery --
From the patient's point of view
About your anesthetic
Being well prepared for anesthesia and surgery can reduce your anxiety, and allow you to be well organized and confident on the day of your procedure. The information provided here will help introduce you to important aspects of anesthesia and surgery, including:
- General information about ambulatory anesthesia and surgery
- Information about your anesthesia care provider
- Information your anesthesiologist will want to know about you
- Different types of anesthesia
- General instructions for the night and morning before surgery
- What to expect on the day of surgery
- What to expect after discharge from ambulatory anesthesia and surgery
General Information
Ambulatory surgery and procedures may take place in a hospital, a free-standing surgery center, a clinic, or even a doctor’s office. In general, if you are having ambulatory surgery (day surgery, outpatient surgery), it is expected that you will be able to go home on the same day . Sometimes, patients may be required to remain for 6-8 hours after surgery for extended observation, or just until the next morning- often called short stay or limited stay surgery. In contrast, inpatient surgery takes place in a hospital, and generally requires that you stay in the hospital for one or more days afterwards.
Typically, ambulatory surgery consists of relatively simple procedures that are expected to have minimal side effects on how your body functions during or after surgery. The pain after surgery should be easily controlled by oral (by mouth) pain medication, and extended nursing care should not be required. It is however, considered unsafe for you to drive, operate hazardous equipment or machinery, or make important decisions in the first 24 hours after anesthesia and surgery. For these reasons, you must have the assistance of another person for your transport home, and a companion is recommended for the first night after surgery.
The Anesthesia Provider
Your anesthetic may be performed by an anesthesiologist who is a doctor who specializes in the effects of anesthesia on the body, and the management of medical conditions in the setting of surgery and anesthesia. The anesthesiologist is in charge of giving anesthesia and watching over your well-being during surgery. Alternatively, anesthesia may be administered by a nurse anesthetist, who is a nurse trained in administering anesthesia, frequently under the supervision of a physician. An anesthesiologist’s assistant is another trained anesthesia provider, who works with an anesthesiologist.
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